Scrabble Crossword Game

Scrabble Crossword Game

Editorial Review

After all these years, its still hard to get a triple word score, the tiles are still made of wood, and theres only one "X" in the whole box. The game of Scrabble has sparked feuds and a near-cult following. All the fuss is over a spelling game that hasnt had an upgrade in 50 years. It takes a little luck and a lot of skill to make high-scoring words out of seven little letters, sometimes with an overabundance of vowels and letters that dont go together--sometimes theres Q without U. Two to four players battle it out on the board, and while some players might be proud of impressive words ("I spelled gestalt!"), skilled players know how to use the premium letter and word squares on the 225-square board to their best advantage. This crossword game has strict rules (no names, no slang) and comes with a warning label: "Choose a dictionary first to avoid any ugly word disputes." --Lynne Sampson
The classic crossword game played by millions around the world! Use your seven letters to build crosswords and use bonus spaces to add to your score! Genuine wooden letter tiles and racks. CHOCKING HAZARD - CONTAINS SMALL PARTS - NOT FOR CHILDREN UNDER 3
Rate Points :4.5
Binding :Toy
Brand :Hasbro
Label :Hasbro
Manufacturer :Hasbro
Model :4024 S5
MPN :4024
ProductGroup :Toy
Studio :Hasbro
Publisher :Hasbro
UPC :025235000175
EAN :0025235000175
Price :$19.99USD
Lowest Price :$11.97USD

Sorry! Family Game Night Edition

Sorry! Family Game Night Edition

Editorial Review

This classic game of luck, strategy, and determination is easy to grasp for children as young as 6 years old, yet its fun for adults and older siblings too. By drawing cards, players move their game pieces around the board, hoping to eventually accumulate all their pieces at the final destination--home sweet home. Sorry is known as the game of "sweet revenge," since players can send each others pawns back to the starting line, thus forcing one another to lose ground and begin all over again. This kind of frustration may be hard for children under age 8 to handle. In fact, young ones typically crumble into tears of outrage when their pawns are cavalierly sent back. The only recourse is to teach children how to plot their own revenge, which makes them feel as powerful as superheroes.
Since 1934, players of all ages have been chasing one another around the classic game board, trying to get their own four pawns from Start to Home. But its not that easy, because you never know what the next card will hold: Will you move forwards or backwards Will you hit a slide and shoot ahead, or will an opponent bump you back to start For 2 to 4 players. Contents include: Sorry! game board, deck of cards, and 16 pawns.
Rate Points :4.5
Binding :Toy
Brand :Hasbro
Label :Hasbro
Manufacturer :Hasbro
Model :00390095
MPN :000390
ProductGroup :Toy
Studio :Hasbro
Publisher :Hasbro
UPC :073000003906
EAN :0073000003906
Price :$16.99USD
Lowest Price :$16.09USD

Trouble Board Game

Trouble Board Game

Amazon.com

Need an icebreaker? Want to work out some aggression without shin guards and helmets? Popomatic Trouble, Milton Bradleys classic race-and-chase game, is guaranteed to bring out your competitive side. Try to outstrip your opponents as you race your pawns around the colorful plastic board to safety. Should you have the good fortune to land on a space occupied by another player, you can send him reeling back to start, where he must wait for a six to pop up (literally) on the capricious dice bubble in the center of the board. Once liberated, your foe is free to reciprocate--now youre in Trouble.

The crystal ball on which the fates of all rest, a.k.a. the Popomatic Dice Bubble, is the genius behind this game, and is one reason it has become a classic. Encased in its bubble, the die never goes flying, rolls off the table, or gets lost. Simple to learn and exciting to play, Popomatic Trouble is a game that never loses its thrill. Popomatic Trouble is for two to four players. --Julie Ubben
Its the classic race-and-chase game with the PopoMatic die-rolling bubble! Pop the bubble and hop your pegs around the track. Land on an opponents peg to bump it back home! But dont you get bumped back, or youre in Trouble! Keep poppin and hoppin to get all 4 of your pegs to the finish line first, and you win! Trouble includes plastic game unit with PopoMatic die roller, gameboard, 16 plastic playing pegs, and 4 rubber feet.

Amazon.com Review

Trouble is a board game with a simple concept: Be the first player to send your four game pieces all the way around the board, moving spaces determined by rolls of the dice. The "trouble" of the title comes when an opponents piece lands on a space occupied by your piece, thus sending yours back to the beginning. Parents will likely remember the game from their youth, or at least remember the games signature gimmick, the pop-o-matic dice roller. The Pop-o-matic is a dome-shaped clear plastic housing for the dice in the center of the board game that automatically tumbles the dice when pressed down and released. This feature, plus the boards plastic slots that hold the game pieces in place, make Trouble a perfect travel game--car or boat motion wont upset the games progress. It is indeed satisfying to press, slap, or pound the pop-o-matic. Its strong enough to withstand the frustration of the losing player(s). The games simplicity makes it easy to jump into without elaborate explanations or practice games for new players, but its utter lack of strategy will likely limit interest to just a few rounds. --Porter B. Hall
Rate Points :4.5
Binding :Toy
Brand :Hasbro
Label :Hasbro
Manufacturer :Hasbro
Model :4658 S5
MPN :004658
ProductGroup :Toy
Studio :Hasbro
Publisher :Hasbro
UPC :032244046582
EAN :0032244046582
Price :$12.99USD
Lowest Price :$10.80USD

Connect Four

Connect Four

The rules are simple: try to build a row of four checkers while keeping your opponent from doing the same. Sounds easy, but its not! The vertical strategy creates a unique challenge: you must think in a whole new way to block your opponents moves! For 2 players. Game includes: grid, two end supports, 21 black checkers and 21 red checkers.

Editorial Review

Connect Four is like vertical tic-tac-toe. Unlike tic-tac-toe, however (as the name suggests), you must get four checkers in a row. One player has red checkers the other has black checkers. To play, alternate turns at dropping one of checkers down a slot at the top of the upright grid. The first player to get four checkers lined up in a row in any direction--horizontal, vertical, or diagonal--wins the game. --Alison Golder
Rate Points :4.5
Binding :Toy
Brand :Hasbro
Label :Hasbro
Manufacturer :Hasbro
Model :4430
MPN :004430
ProductGroup :Toy
Studio :Hasbro
Publisher :Hasbro
UPC :032244044304
EAN :0032244044304
Price :$14.99USD
Lowest Price :$12.98USD

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Widescreen)

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Widescreen)

Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 01/27/2009 Run time: 120 minutes Rating: Pg13

Amazon.com

The feverish Hellboy II: The Golden Army is a very busy sequel that might have looked unhinged in the hands of a less visionary director than Guillermo del Toro. Ron Perlman returns as Hellboy, aka "Red," the Dark Horse Comics demon-hero with roots in the mythical world but personal ties in the human realm. Still working, as he was in Hellboy, for a secret department of the federal government that deals (as in "Men In Black") with forces of the fantastic, Red and his colleagues take on a royal elf (Luke Goss) determined to smash a longtime truce between mankind and the forces of magic. Meanwhile, Reds relationship with girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair), who can burst into flames at will, is going through a rocky stage observed by Reds fishy friend Abe (Doug Jones), himself struck by love in this film. Del Toro brilliantly integrates the ordinary and extraordinary, diving into an extended scene set in a troll market barely hidden behind the faade of typical city streets. He also unleashes a forest monster that devastates an urban neighborhood, but then--interestingly--brings a luminous beauty to the same area as the creature (an "elemental") succumbs to a terrible death. Del Toros art direction proves masterful, too, in a climactic battle set in a clockworks-like stronghold tucked away in rugged Irish landscape. But its really the juxtaposition of visual marvels with not-so-unusual relationship issues that gives Hellboy II a certain jaunty appeal hard to find in other superhero movies. --Tom Keogh




Stills from Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Click for larger image)

Rate Points :4.0
Binding :DVD
Brand :Universal
Label :Universal Studios
Manufacturer :Universal Studios
MPN :MCAD61100257D
ProductGroup :DVD
Studio :Universal Studios
Publisher :Universal Studios
UPC :025195001861
EAN :0025195001861
Price :$19.98USD
Lowest Price :$8.99USD

Hancock (Two-Disc Unrated Edition)

Hancock (Two-Disc Unrated Edition)

Academy Award nominee Will Smith (Best Actor, The Pursuit of Happyness, 2006) stars in this action-packed comedy as Hancock, a sarcastic, hard-living and misunderstood superhero who has fallen out of favor with the public. When Hancock grudgingly agrees to an extreme makeover from idealistic publicist Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman, Juno), his life and reputation rise from the ashes and all seems right again--until he meets a woman (2003 Academy Award winner Charlize Theron, Best Actress, Monster) with similar powers to his and the key to his secret past.

Amazon.com

Hancock turns the standard superhero movie inside-out: The title character (Will Smith) can fly, has superstrength, and is invulnerable, but hes also a sloppy, alcoholic jerk who causes millions of dollars in property damage whenever he bothers to fight crime. When he saves the life of a public-relations agent named Ray (Jason Bateman, Arrested Development), Ray decides to improve Hancocks image--starting by having Hancock surrender himself to the authorities and go to prison for his lawless behavior. The idea is that once hes in prison, the crime rate will go up, and people will start to realize Hancock might be of value after all. This is only the first act of Hancock--from there, the movie takes several clever turns that shouldnt be revealed. Hancock isnt a great movie (among other things, director Peter Berg overuses close-ups with a hand-held camera to a degree that may cause motion sickness), but it is an extremely entertaining one. The script, which holds together far better than most superhero movies, has a propulsive plot, good dialogue, some compassion for its characters, and even an actual idea or two. The spectacular action at least gestures towards obeying the laws of physics, which actually makes the special effects more vivid. The three leads (Smith, Bateman, and Charlize Theron as Rays wife, Mary) deftly balance the movies mixture of comedy, action, and drama. All in all, a smart subversive twist on a genre that all too often takes itself all too seriously. --Bret Fetzer

Stills from Hancock (click for larger image)

Rate Points :3.5
Binding :DVD
Brand :Sony
Label :Sony Pictures
Manufacturer :Sony Pictures
MPN :COLD28124D
ProductGroup :DVD
Studio :Sony Pictures
Publisher :Sony Pictures
UPC :043396281240
EAN :0043396281240
Price :$34.95USD
Lowest Price :$12.46USD

The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor (Widescreen)

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (Widescreen)

Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 12/16/2008 Run time: 112 minutes Rating: Pg13

Amazon.com

The third film in the The Mummy series freshens the franchise up by setting the action in China. There, the discovery of an ancient emperors elaborate tomb proves a feather in the cap of Alex OConnell (Luke Ford), a young archaeologist and son of Rick OConnell (Brendan Fraser) and his wife Evelyn (Maria Bello, taking over the role from Rachel Weisz). Unfortunately, a curse that turned the emperor (Jet Li) and his army into terra cotta warriors buried for centuries is lifted, and the old guy prepares for world domination by seeking immortality at Shangri La. The OConnells barely stay a step ahead of him (climbing through the Himalaya mountains with apparent ease), but the action inevitably leads to a showdown between two armies of mummies in a Chinese desert. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor has a lot to offer: a supporting cast that includes the elegant Michelle Yeoh, Russell Wong, and Liam Cunningham, the unexpected appearance of several Yeti, and a climactic battle sequence that is nightmarishly weird but compelling. On the downside, the charm so desperately sought in romantic relationships, as well as comic turns by John Hannah (as Evelyns rascal brother), is not only absent but often annoying. Rarely have witty asides in the thick of battle been more unwelcome in a movie. Rob Cohens direction is largely crisp if sometimes curious (a fight between Fraser and Jet Li keeps varying in speed for some reason), but his vision of Shangri La, in the Hollywood tradition, is certainly attractive. --Tom Keoghbr>



Stills from The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (Click for larger image)

Rate Points :3.0
Binding :DVD
Brand :Universal
Label :Universal Studios
Manufacturer :Universal Studios
MPN :61101991
ProductGroup :DVD
Studio :Universal Studios
Publisher :Universal Studios
UPC :025195015936
EAN :0025195015936
Price :$29.98USD
Lowest Price :$13.45USD

Tropic Thunder

Tropic Thunder

Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 11/18/2008 Run time: 107 minutes Rating: R

Amazon.com

Its not really a knock to say that nothing in Tropic Thunder is funnier than its first five minutes, so sly that--especially for people watching in theaters--you dont realize right away they are the opening minutes of the movie. This outrageous comedy begins with a series of fake previews, each introducing one of the main characters in the film-proper (not that theres anything proper about this film) and each bearing the familiar logo of a different motion picture studio: Universal, DreamWorks SKG, et al. Such playing fast and loose with corporate talismans verges on sacrilege, but its an index of how much le tout Tinseltown endorses the movie as a demented valentine to itself. The premise is that the cast of a would-be "Son of Rambo" movie shooting in some Southeast Asian jungle get into a real shooting war with drug-smuggling montagnards. Dont ask--though the movie does have an answer--why such highly paid, usually ultra-pampered personnel as superhero Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller), Mozart of fart comedy Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black), hip-hop artist Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson), and five-time Oscar-winner Kirk Lazarus from Aus-try-leeah (Robert Downey Jr.) should be running through the jungle unattended and very vulnerable. It matters only that the real-life cast has a high time kidding their own profession and flexing their comedic muscles. Bonus points go to Stiller for co-writing the script (with Justin Theroux) and directing, and to Downey, brilliant as a white actor surgically turned black actor for his role and utterly committed to staying in character no matter what ("I dont drop character till I done the DVD commentary").

Be warned: The movie, too, is committed--to being an equal-opportunity offender. Its political incorrectness extends not only to Lazaruss black-like-me posturing but also Speedmans recent, Sean Pennstyle Oscar bid playing a cognitively challenged farmboy--or, in Lazaruss deathless phrase, "going the full retard." Others in the cast include Steve Coogan as a director out of his depth, Nick Nolte as the Viet-vet novelist whose book inspired the film-within-the-film, Matthew McConaughey as Speedmans sun-blissed agent back home, and Tom Cruise--bald, fat-suited, and profane--as an epically repulsive studio head. Two hours running time is a mite excessive, but otherwise, whats not to like? --Richard T. Jameson




Stills from Tropic Thunder (Click for larger image)

Rate Points :3.0
Binding :DVD
Brand :Paramount
Label :Dreamworks Video
Manufacturer :Dreamworks Video
MPN :PARD350154D
ProductGroup :DVD
Studio :Dreamworks Video
Publisher :Dreamworks Video
UPC :097363501541
EAN :0097363501541
Price :$29.98USD
Lowest Price :$10.20USD

Eagle Eye (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Eagle Eye (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 12/26/2008

Amazon.com

The "cell phone thriller" is becoming a genre unto itself, and Eagle Eye should be considered a key example of the form. Frankly preposterous but compulsively watchable, this movie puts Shia LaBeouf in a mess of trouble instigated by a mysterious telephone voice. If he doesnt follow orders, dire things will happen--although when he does follow orders, the consequences are pretty dire, anyway. Also being blackmailed is a single mom (Michelle Monaghan) receiving similar phone calls. Why are they being jerked around by the purring female voice, and why is the road leading to Washington, D.C.? Actually, you wont have time to contemplate these questions, because director D.J. Caruso (who guided LaBeouf in Disturbia) keeps the action going at the customary breakneck pace. This is a wise move, because the real questions youd likely be asking have to do with the plausibility of events on a minute-by-minute basis (most notably: how could Mysterious Phone Voice possibly know that the two pigeons would survive the hoops she makes them fly through, each one more death-defying than the last?). The actors tumble through this mayhem like scattering bowling pins, including Billy Bob Thornton and Rosario Dawson as government agents. Nobody has time to make much of an impression, and LaBeouf has much less room for puppydog charm than he did in Disturbia. Even that would be all right within the movies berserk parameters, but the really irritating thing is the way the tacked-on final scenes reverse what would have been a heroic climax. No guts, no glory. --Robert Horton




Stills from Eagle Eye (Click for larger image)

Rate Points :3.5
Binding :DVD
Brand :Eagle
Label :Dreamworks Video
Manufacturer :Dreamworks Video
MPN :140514
ProductGroup :DVD
Studio :Dreamworks Video
Publisher :Dreamworks Video
UPC :097361405148
EAN :0097361405148
Price :$34.98USD
Lowest Price :$14.89USD